Data Communication Interface

1. A data communication interface comprising a controller module, a switching module and a data port, wherein: the controller module is operable to monitor a status of a power line of the data port and, if the power line has a first status, transmit a first communication mode instruction to the switching module and, if the power line has a second status, transmit a second communication mode instruction to the switching module; the switching module is configured to receive a communication mode instruction from the controller module and, if the first communication mode instruction is received, route inter-integrated circuit (I2C) data communication lines to the data port; and, if the second communication mode instruction is received, route universal serial bus (USB) data communication lines to the data port, and wherein the data communications interface is thus configurable for data communication via the data port with an external device using an I2C data communication protocol, and configurable for data communication via the data port with an external device using a USB data communication protocol, and wherein the controller module, the switching module, and the data port are electrically coupled to a printed circuit board of a monitoring device that includes a power source and a microcontroller.

2. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein monitoring the status of the power line monitors a voltage of the power line.

3. The data communication interface according to claim 2 , wherein the power line has a first status if the voltage is less than a first predetermined threshold and the power line has a second status if the voltage is greater than a second predetermined threshold.

4. The data communication interface according to claim 3 , wherein the first predetermined threshold corresponds to an operating voltage of the I2C data communication protocol and the second predetermined threshold corresponds to an operating voltage of the USB data communication protocol.

5. The data communication interface according to claim 3 , wherein the first and second predetermined thresholds are the same between an operating voltage of the I2C data communication protocol and an operating voltage of the USB data communication protocol.

6. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein if the power line has a first status and the switching module routes I2C data communication lines, the power line of the data port is configured to supply power to an external device; and if the power line has a second status and the switching module routes USB data communication lines, the power line of the data port is configured to receive power from an external device.

7. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein if the power line has a second status and the switching module routes USB data communication lines to the data port, the data communication lines are not used and only power is received via the data port.

8. The data communication interface according to claim 6 , wherein if the power line is configured to receive power from an external device, using the received power to power and/or charge a power source of a host of the data communication interface.

9. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication mode instruction is a logic high and the second communication mode instruction is a logic low or wherein the first communication mode instruction is a logic low and the second communication mode instruction is a logic high.

10. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein the switching module is a multiplexer.

11. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein the I2C data communication lines include a serial data line, a serial clock line and optionally an interrupt line.

12. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein the USB data communication lines include data plus (D+) and data minus (D−) lines, and wherein wires of the data port include a power line, two data lines, and a ground line and optionally an additional line.

13. The data communication interface according to claim 12 , wherein the two data lines are in electrical communication with a serial data line and a serial clock line when the switching module is in the first communication mode and wherein the two data lines are in electrical communication with a data plus line and a data minus line when the switching module is in the second communication mode.

14. The data communication interface according to claim 1 , wherein the switching module has a default setting to route I2C data communication lines to the data port.

15. A monitoring device having one or more sensors associated therewith for monitoring one or more parameters, the monitoring device comprising a data communication interface comprising a controller module, a switching module and a data port, wherein: the controller module is operable to monitor a status of a power line of the data port and, if the power line has a first status, transmit a first communication mode instruction to the switching module and, if the power line has a second status, transmit a second communication mode instruction to the switching module; and, the switching module is configured to receive a communication mode instruction from the controller module and, if the first communication mode instruction is received, route inter-integrated circuit (I2C) data communication lines to the data port; and, if the second communication mode instruction is received, route universal serial bus (USB) data communication lines to the data port, and wherein the data communications interface is thus configurable for data communication via the data port with an external device using an I2C data communication protocol, and configurable for data communications via the data port with an external device using a USB data communication protocol, and wherein the controller module, the switching module, and the data port are electrically coupled to a printed circuit board of a monitoring device that includes a power source and a microcontroller.

16. A method for controlling a data communication interface for a data port, comprising the step of: monitoring the status of a power line of the data port and, if the power line has a first status, transmitting a first communication mode instruction to route inter-integrated circuit (I2C) data communication lines to the data port and, if the power line has a second status, transmitting a second communication mode instruction to route universal serial bus (USB) data communication lines to the data port, wherein the data communications interface is thus configurable for data communication via the data port with an external device using an I2C data communication protocol, and configurable for data communication via the data port with an external device using a USB data communication protocol, and wherein the data port is electrically coupled to a printed circuit board of a monitoring device that includes a power source and a microcontroller.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the step of monitoring the status of a power line of the data port monitors a voltage of the power line of the data port.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the power line has a first status if the voltage is less than a first predetermined threshold and the power line has a second status if the voltage is greater than a second predetermined threshold.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the method includes further steps of either receiving a first communication mode instruction and, responsive to which, activating a multiplexer to route I2C data communication lines to the data port; or, receiving a second communication mode instruction and, responsive to which, activating a multiplexer to route USB data communication lines to the data port.